A boutique hair salon with a conscious approach...

While volunteering at an animal rescue centre in Sulawesi, Indonesia, owner of Mane Hair Boutique Cassandra O’Mara developed a plan for her business. That plan was to open an ethical, cruelty free hair salon that provided clients with beautiful hair with without compromising the environment. Cassandra says “I decided to open an ethical salon after realising there was no one else out there doing it, we have to start thinking sustainably, even if it is just one shop at a time.”No stranger to working in progressive cutting-edge salons, Cassandra has over 16 years of experience working in salons in Melbourne and London. After three years of careful planning and researching ethical product lines, Cassandra set up a studio space in the leafy Ballarat suburb of Mount Clear.

The result: A boutique hair salon that uses the safest environmentally friendly hair products available on today’s market, the majority of which also happen to be vegan. The products that are used on clients’ hair have all been handpicked by Cassandra for their natural ingredients, and no sulphate or paraben being a huge factor. The favourite retail and colour lines of the salon are also certified Cruelty Free by PETA, and are also chosen for their low carbon footprint and recyclability. The foil used on clients’ hair is all recycled and thermal booster caps are used on colour rather than electrical appliances whenever possible. For the male clients, Cassandra and her team provide classic cuts with a contemporary approach, using all Australian made, ethically sourced products.

Cassandra often questions whether her clients come to visit her or to gaze at her two salon mascots, Bodhi and Shadow her rescue Alaskan Malamutes who can often be found sunbaking on the back deck or drawing clients into their friendly eyes.

The salon currently employs three staff, with staff excited to learn as much about environmentally friendly hair from head stylist Cassandra, setting the trend for salons and other businesses alike to take note. The demand for low chemical and ethically sourced products is becoming larger and the health and vegan community of Ballarat have been supportive of growing the business.

Mane Hair Boutique is located at 24 Marina Drive Mount Clear and is available by appointment only.